Christmas past

I also completed an entire LO, start to finish yeserday. This is one of my "just fooling around" LOs, using an old photo from Christmas 2008. This was all our Christmas decor that year. We didnt' have a tree, very many gifts, etc. in 2009 because of Don's unemployment not getting straightened out until just before Christmas, and Don not wanting to spend any money on gifts (other than the wad he spent on the Mona Vie, that is.) He did "buy" me some things that were only the cost of shipping, which was some fairly nice skin care stuff. I bought him some clothes after Christmas.

But, last Christmas was better as far as that goes. And I'm not scrapping this Christmas yet, I'm scrapping November. So, when I'm "just fooling around" with Christmas photos it's 2008 or earlier. I like participating in a couple of challenges on Two Peas in a Bucket. This one combines the Bookmarks and Use our Stash Challenges. I am not sure I like this LO. I added some stuff later, it's a little better. Making all the little squares was fun, but lining them up straight with the photo was hard and I don't think I did.

One thing I do like is the star at the top. Let me share with you how I made that. I took one of the many star stamps I own (in this case, an Autumn Leaves acrylic stamp) and stamped it on thin chipboard. If you have a Sizzix and a strong arm, you can use thicker chipboard in it. I don't think you can use thicker chipboard in the electronic die cutters. I don't have even a Sizzix myself, so I then cut my star out with scissors.

Then I covered the star with little scraps of paper. I used the same K & CO paper as in the rest of the LO, but you could use anything! Even tear up colorful pages from a magazine! Just be careful though. When you tear most paper, one side is going to show a white edge. It might be cool on some projects, but I had too much white on my star for my taste.

Thankfully, that was covered up with the next step - glitter! I put three colors on my star, silver, green and dark red. I used the same scrapbooking glue I use for EVERYTHING, but you could also use Mod Podge or another decoupage medium for this. And if you have Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents or something like that, it would be cool on top! I may still get some, but I am trying to watch my pennies these days.

I plan to keep blogging about the cool things I learn by doing. The website is going to have lots of cool acrylic stamps, so not long after I get it up and running, I'll be creating a section there with more tips and tricks. Stay tuned!